Katz Center Conversation Series: “Soft Power” and “Culture Wars”

Lessons From Jewish Europe Between the World Wars
The Gershman Y
Thursdays • 12:30-1:30 pm
$10 each • $15 series

The present political moment has been compared to that of Germany in 1933. This two-part series will take a deeper look at aspects of Jewish politics in that time, asking what, if anything, truly resonates with the situation today. In both sessions, visiting scholars from the University of Pennsylvania’s Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies will talk about their areas of expertise with a thoughtful interlocutor and invite the audience to join the conversation. Save $5 by registering for both sessions HERE!

SOFT POWER
February 16 • RSVP HERERebecca Kobrin, Katz Center and Columbia University

For Jews in the interwar world, the distribution of American dollars was an overtly political act with a strong influence on the shape of Jewish life in Europe. This conversation will be about how Jews use their philanthropic power and its effects, intended and unintended, on the Jewish and non-Jewish political landscape.

The flourishing of intellectual, artistic, and scientific life during the Weimar period was accompanied by a new type of conflict, in which political issues were inextricably linked with claims about culture and religion. Jews and Judaism played a particular role in these “culture wars” on the eve of the Holocaust, and this conversation will explore those dynamics and ask what is different today.

The Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania is devoted to postdoctoral research on Jewish civilization as an integral part of the humanities.

The Katz Conversation Series is free with a valid University of Pennsylvania PennCard ID. All participants that register as a PennCard holder must present their valid PennCard ID at Will Call in order to be granted free entry. Any participants who are not able to provide a valid PennCard ID on the day of the program will only be granted access upon paying the admission fee.